Here Without You
by LittleKnux2008
Summary: The Wraith begin their attack on Atlantis. An evacuation takes place, leaving few behind. Can they save Atlantis, or is the city doomed to be forgotten once more? [Siege AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hello all! I know this story hasn't been updated in ages and I'm deathly sorry about that, but there are a few things I need to fix. Just finished fixing up some grammatical errors in this chapter and eventually I'll get to fixing the rest of the chapters. I'll probably end up going back and adding in some things; making some stuff easier to understand. Anyway, wanted to let you know that I didn't forget this story! And for those of you new to this story, I hope you enjoy!  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters, places, etc, in this story.  
**Story Notes: **This was written just after "Before I Sleep" and is sort of an AU of "The Siege". Eventually, as I go through and edit, it may encompass the episodes between "Before I Sleep" and "The Siege" ("The Gift", "Letters to Pegasus", etc).

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"Elizabeth!" Rodney rushed into the control room, breathing heavily. Exercise was definitely not his forte—he was already panting just from running from his lab to the control room. "What's going on?" he yelled over the loud noise. "Why did you sound the alarm?" The alarm, shrill and noisy, continued to pierce the tense air of the control room. Elizabeth Weir turned to face him and Rodney froze. He had been expecting that it was a drill of some sort, but her expression… It looked as if her worst fears had come true. "Elizabeth?" he asked again, his voice more gentle. He stepped forward, softly touching her forearm. There was a faraway look in her eyes, as if she didn't see anyone there in the room with her. Finally her eyes moved to his, but the glazed look remained.

"Rodney," she said, pursing her lips briefly before speaking once more. "We're putting forth an immediate evacuation of Atlantis."

McKay looked at her, frowning deeply. "What do you mean? Why?" It took only a moment of staring into Elizabeth's eyes beyond the numbness and into her fear that he realized just what it was—the Wraith. "They're almost here, aren't they?" he asked.

"No," Elizabeth gazed at him, "they're already here."

"**What?** What do you mean?"

Elizabeth bit her lip and Rodney could tell she was fighting back tears. He could nearly hear her mentally reminding herself that she had to be strong for her people. "The Wraith are hovering around the planet. More Darts and Hive Ships keep appearing by the minute."

"How can they just appear?" Rodney asked, his words blurring together as his speed of talking increased. "What about the sensors?" he sat down in front of a nearby laptop, his fingers flying as he pressed the keys.

"They just appeared an hour ago. Maybe there was some interference in the sensors, I don't know and it's not the problem we need to be focusing on. I sent all personnel with the Ancient gene on jumpers to go and get as many Athosians as they could from the mainland."

"If they arrived an hour ago why haven't they attacked by now?" Rodney questioned. He stood and they began to walk side-by-side to her office.

"I'm guessing they're gathering their forces," Elizabeth said, pulling papers from one of the drawers of her desk and tossing them on the top of it in a messy pile. Rodney clamped his mouth shut before he said what they both knew. The Wraith wouldn't wait long. All of the Athosians couldn't possibly make it back to Atlantis and to the Alpha Site before the attacks started. Once the attacks started it would be too dangerous for them to continue shipping them back and forth. "One-third," Elizabeth said as she continued dumping official documents onto the desk. "One-third of the Athosians won't make it back. They all volunteered to stay back and hide in the caves. We gave them what weapons we could," she told him, "They forced Teyla to go onto one of the jumpers. All of the women and children are on their way back and some of the men. Everyone else is on the mainland."

"They might be safer there," Rodney said seriously, "We didn't notice the mainland for a while. Maybe they won't. The ships are probably over Atlantis, not the mainland." He said the words knowing they were most likely false, but hoping to comfort Elizabeth.

"If Atlantis falls, everyone on this planet will die at their hand," Elizabeth stood, her eyes connecting with Rodney's. Her body was shaking with her fear of the impending doom at hand. Breaking eye contact, she ducked her head and walked over to him. She pulled out a lighter from her pants pocket and lit it.

"What are you doing?" Rodney asked, his brows furrowing.

"I'm burning all of the documents about the Alpha Site," she told him. "If the Wraith win, they'll be all over the base. I can't risk one stupid, pale-skinned bastard coming in here and figuring out where everyone else is," her emotions were written clearly over her face, her curse a slip in her mature and stoic façade. Rodney looked at her and bit his lip, concerned. Elizabeth lit the end of one of the papers on fire and watched as the orange blaze spread across the white sheet. "C'mon," she said, tugging at his sleeve, "We've got to get out of here before the Ancient sensors seal the room." Rodney turned and followed her out without question, knowing that when the sensors picked up the danger they would lock them in.

"What are we doing to protect ourselves?" the question fell from Rodney's lips as Elizabeth leaned against a machine in the control room that had since emptied.

Elizabeth sighed softly, knowing deep down that their attempts were futile. "Carson is injecting everyone who wants to stay behind with the Ancient gene."

Rodney look mildly alarmed. "Is that safe?"

"No, not really, but do we have a choice?" she asked rhetorically. "We'll have a person with the gene for every jumper, one person per jumper. Everyone else is arming themselves with whatever we've got," she looked at Rodney. "A lot of the scientists are grouping together to form an expedition of sorts to go to the other sides of Atlantis to see if there is a weapon that we can use against the Wraith." A last ditch effort, that's what this war had come down to. In these months that they'd been on Atlantis exploring they hadn't found anything useful – what was to say that they would now?

"I'll go with them," Rodney said instantly.

"No," she replied without a second of thought.

"Don't trust the future of Atlantis in their incompetent hands," Rodney said, though he knew very well that the scientists were the best in the world. When it came down to it, they could pull their own weight. "Why not?" Rodney asked, frowning.

"Rodney," her face, so stern most days, was struggling to keep her emotions hidden, but now it finally broke. "We're not going to win this thing. I…I can't send you to your death, Rodney," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Don't say that," Rodney mumbled softly, his voice weak. They both knew the odds were against Atlantis coming out in the end.

"You know it's true," Elizabeth whispered, and her shoulders sagged. "This is the end. The end of Atlantis, the end of everything we worked for, the end of us. No one will ever know what happened to us. The people on the Alpha Site will never be able to return home. And the people here…" her eyes filled with tears, "I'm sentencing everyone to death." She closed her eyes and the tears ran down her face. Rodney walked forward and, without thinking, hugged her to him tightly. She hugged him back, setting her chin on his shoulders as the tears ran down her face

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"I thought you'd never get here," Zelenka announced as Rodney flew into the lab room. He was amazed to see nearly all of the resident scientists in their uniforms, gearing up. The guns attached to their hips looked bulky and unnatural by their sides. Rodney looked at Zelenka for a moment and slowly shook his head back and forth.

"I'm not," he whispered. "I'm not coming with you guys."

"What?" Zelenka snapped. His forehead wrinkled in anger for a brief second, but a moment later all of the anger went out of him as he realized why Rodney was staying. Elizabeth—it had to be. Zelenka turned around toward the other scientists, silencing their chorus of loud inquiries with a firm stare. "He has his reasons, guys. We're going to have to do this on our own."

Rodney looked at Zelenka with a newfound appreciation. Here was Zelenka, with zero military training, taking charge of a science expedition into the totally unknown parts of a foreign place with no backup and an enemy overhead. Rodney grasped Zelenka's forearm with respect. "Good luck," his words were simple, but Zelenka took them to heart and nodded back firmly.

"You too," he replied, and turned back to the scientists. Rodney watched them for a moment before turning around and walking slowly out of the room. He ran a hand over his head, mentally reviewing the facts. Twenty-nine Darts had appeared, as well as seven hive ships—more than enough to take down Atlantis. Obviously no one had ever mentioned the concept of overkill to the Wraith. Rodney sighed softly to himself as he walked down the halls.

"Rodney!" he turned at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. She ran up to him, her breathing heavy. "One of the jumpers is stalled on the mainland; something is wrong with it. John is flying another jumper out there to get the last group of Athosians. I'm going to go with him."

"What?" Rodney yelled, and winced at the volume of his voice. He lowered it and continued speaking, "You can't go with him. It's too dangerous!"

"Rodney," she said sternly, "I have to go. I owe it to them, to see them one last time—" her throat tightened, cutting off her sentence. Rodney sighed, not liking it, but recognizing what she was saying. He knew it wasn't the brightest idea a leader could have, but Elizabeth was put in a tough place as the leader and a friend. "As of now, you're in charge of Atlantis."

"Fine. But be careful." Rodney agreed. "I'm going to go back to the lab and see if I can finish what I've been doing. The shield that held the ocean back from collapsing on Atlantis; I think I can calibrate it so that it will protect the city **and **the jumpers."

Elizabeth frowned, looking worried. "Do we have enough power for that?"

"We have enough," he affirmed, "You see, the ZPM uses the same amount of power each day. Sometimes not all of it is needed. What isn't needed is basically stored throughout the 'power lines' in the city. If I can access those and reroute the power I can use it to power the shield. When that power is gone it will automatically take energy from the ZPMs. As long as we don't use the shield for more than five hours, we'll have primary systems and basic functions. We'll find some ZPMs and the city will be as good as new." He left out the fact that since they'd been to Atlantis they'd yet to find a ZPM that they could use.

"Theoretically," Elizabeth said, still frowning. "Work on protecting the jumpers for now."

"Why not the city?"

"It's made of a hard alloy, isn't it?" she asked him, "It withstood the reaction that the C4 had in the west wing when Lieutenant Crown and his team tried to blow a door down, so wouldn't it be protected from Wraith shots?"

"Possibly."

"Why would the Ancients build this place with such a hard element? The Athosians found a bunch of other alloys on the mainland that are nearly as strong. There's got to be a reason why they chose this one," Elizabeth plodded onward.

Rodney caught her drift. "They must guard against the culling beam the Wraith use," he said aloud, and grinned. "You're brilliant!" he turned on his heel, nearly speeding off to his lab. Elizabeth smiled a ghostly grin before jogging to the jumper bay. How did he remain so upbeat when potential death was reining down on them?

She headed slowly back to her new, temporary office. Elizabeth was not a military commander but now the occasion called for it. Running a hand through her air, she bit her lip. It all came back to the Wraith. She had heard about them in mission reports-had seen the Wraith they'd captured-but the terror associated with them she had never experienced. In the dark expanses of the nights where she could no longer sleep, she found her chest constricting with the treacherous wonder of how it felt to have your life sapped away. Elizabeth shook her head. Now was no time to succumb to fear. She had to be strong for everyone now.

War was upon Atlantis.

And by the sheer amount of Wraith appearing above the planet, it was a war that they could not win.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Here's the second chapter! Sorry for the mishap (posting this in the wrong category). Anyway... I'm sorry if the story sounds kinda weird, in the original thing there were little excerpt-ish things when it went back to present day, but I took those out, so yeah... Lol, anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please reivew!

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"I thought you'd never get here," Zelenka announced as Rodney flew into the lab room. He was amazed to see nearly all of the resident scientists in their uniforms, gearing up. The guns attached to their hips looked bulky and unnatural by their sides. Rodney looked at Zelenka for a moment and slowly shook his head back and forth.

"I'm not," he whispered. Elizabeth needed him here.

"What?" Zelenka snapped. His forehead wrinkled in anger for a brief second, but a moment later all of the anger went out of him as he realized why Rodney was staying. Elizabeth—it had to be. Zelenka turned around toward the other scientists, silencing their chorus of 'why?'s with a firm stare. "He has his reasons, guys. We're going to have to do this on our own."

Rodney looked at Zelenka with a newfound appreciation. Here was Zelenka, with zero military training, taking charge of a science expedition into the totally unknown parts of a foreign place with no backup and an enemy overhead. Rodney grasped Zelenka's forearm with respect. "Good luck," his words were simple, but the meaning behind them was not.

Zelenka nodded back to him stonily. "You too," he replied, and turned back to the scientists. Rodney watched them for a moment before turning around and walking slowly out of the room. He ran a hand over his hair, mentally reviewing the facts. Twenty-nine Darts had appeared so far, as well asfour hive ships—more than enough to take down Atlantis. That wasn't even counting the other Darts that continued to appear. Obviously no one had ever mentioned the concept of over-kill to the Wraith. Rodney sighed softly to himself as he walked down the halls.

"Rodney!" he turned at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. She ran up to him, her breathing heavy. "One of the jumpers is stalled on the mainland; something is wrong with it. John is flying another jumper out there to get the last group of Athosians. I'm going to go with him."

"What?" Rodney yelled, and winced at the volume of his voice. He lowered it and continued speaking, "You can't go with him. It's too dangerous!"

"Rodney," she said sternly, "I have to go. I owe it to them, to see them one last time—" her throat tightened, cutting off her sentence. Rodney sighed, not liking it, but recognizing what she was saying. "As of now, you're in charge of Atlantis."

"Okay," Rodney relented. There wasn't a point in arguing, especially when time was short. Rodneyknew John wouldn't let anythinghappen to Elizabeth. "I'm going to go back to the lab and see if I can finish what I've been doing. The shield that held the ocean back from collapsing on Atlantis; I think I can calibrate it so that it will protect the city **and **the jumpers."

Elizabeth frowned, looking worried. "Do we have enough power for that?"

"We have enough," he affirmed, "You see, the ZPM uses the same amount of power each day. Sometimes not all of it is needed. What isn't needed is basically stored throughout the 'power lines' in the city. If I can access those and reroute the power I can use it to powerthe shield. When that power is gone it willautomatically take energy from the ZPMs.As long as we don't use the shield for more than five hours, we'll have primary systems and basic functions. We'll find some ZPMs and the city will be as good as new." He left out the fact that since they'd been to Atlantis they'd yet to find a ZPM that they could use.

"Theoretically," Elizabeth said, still frowning. "Work on protecting the jumpers for now."

"Why not the city?"

"It's made of a hard alloy, isn't it?" she asked him, "It withstood the reaction that the C4 had in the west wing when Lieutenant Crown and the rest of his team tried to blow a door down,so wouldn't it be protected from Wraith shots?"

"Possibly."

"Why would the Ancients build this place with such a hard element? The Athosians found a bunch of other alloys on the mainland that are nearly as strong. There's got to be a reason why they chose this one," Elizabeth plodded onward.

Rodney caught her drift. "They must guard against the culling beam the Wraith use," he said aloud, and grinned. "You're brilliant!" he turned on his heel, nearly speeding off to his lab. Elizabeth smiled a ghostly smile before jogging to the jumper bay. How did he remain so upbeat when potential death was reining down on them?

She headed slowly back to her office. Elizabeth was not a military commander-but now the occasion called for it. Running a hand through her air, she bit her lip. It all came back to the Wraith. She had heard about them in mission reports-had seen the Wraith they'd captured that John had named-but the terror associated with them she had never experienced. In the dark expanses of the nights where she could no longer sleep, she found her chest constricting with the treacherous wonder of how it felt to have your life sapped away. Elizabeth shook her head. Now was no time to succumb to fear. She had to be strong for everyone now.

War was upon Atlantis.

And by the sheer amount of Wraith appearing over the planet, it was a war that they could not win.

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**Purple Yin: **Thanks for pointing that out to me! It's fixed now. 


	3. Chapter 3

"That's it. The last Athosians are gone," Elizabeth announced as the wormhole shut. John had guided the quick flight to the mainland and back, his pace rushed. Tears straining to be released, Elizabeth had spoken to the Athosians who were staying behind, whispering luck and speaking of their bravery. The memory, now so distant, of convincing Teyla and Aiden that they were needed at the Alpha Site, played through her head with a vengeance. Aiden had accepted it after a stern order from both she and John, but Elizabeth knew that he wanted to stay. He was a brave man. She didn't know him well, but she knew that if Atlantis did fall, he had the ability to take over John's position, just as Teyla could take over Elizabeth's job. Elizabeth sighed sadly, recalling all too swiftly when John had given her his final goodbye, holding her tightly to him as if he never would let go. John had grown on Elizabeth-in that irritating way, but grown nonetheless-and she was sad to see him like this. Never before had he looked so…lost. 

Elizabeth turned around, pushing the thoughts away. Everyone who was staying behind on Atlantis stood in front of her, as many fitting in the control room as possible and the others spilling out into the hallway. Their eyes were on her, their leader. "If anyone would like to leave now and go to the Alpha Site, I insist upon it," her eyes scanned across them. "There will be no question that this is most likely a suicide mission." No one moved a step. Elizabeth smiled queasily as she looked over their faces. By nightfall, those very faces might be wrinkled and gray, their bodies food for the Wraith. She fought the shudder that threatened to overtake her. "If no one wants to go, then we should go over our game plan—" she was interrupted by Peter Grodin's urgent voice.

"Incoming wormhole!"

Elizabeth glanced at the group of sixty before walking over to Peter. "From whom?" she asked, her voice wary.

"It's from…" he spoke, his fingers touching the clear crystals hurriedly. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "It's from Earth." Elizabeth's own eyes widened as she hurriedly fixed her earpiece back on.

"This is General O'Neill from Stargate Command, can you hear me?"

Elizabeth was silent for a few moments, not believing it. "Yes, yes we can," she said, an amazed look on her face. "How…" she was far too shocked to form complete thoughts, not to mention whole sentences.

"We recently defeated a Replicator…" he paused, "base, I guess you could call it. We found two ZPMs," he said. The others behind Elizabeth looked at each other with hope in their eyes. If they could get two ZPMs, they could surely beat the Wraith! "As a gift the Asgards improved the hyperspace technology on Prometheus."

"We're under attack by a powerful enemy, General," Elizabeth said hurriedly, "If we had those ZPMs…"

"I figured you'd need them. They're on the Prometheus. Estimated time of arrival is in 3 hours."

"Why can't you just send them through the Stargate?" she questioned.

"Our Stargate suffered a direct hit from a powerful weapon," he explained, "We haven't had the chance to have it examined but wormhole connections have been shaky at best. I don't think either of us could risk losing a ZPM if the wormhole disconnected."

"You're right," Elizabeth said. "Tell the people on Prometheus that they're riding into a battle. We have about six jumpers."

"Jumpers?"

"Green ships built by the ancients, designed to fit through the Stargate," she explained, not knowing that realization was dawning on Jack O'Neill light years away.

"All right. Hang in there for a few hours," he said. The connection grew fuzzy and Elizabeth removed her earpiece. A moment later, the 'gate closed.

Elizabeth turned to the group, a full smile on her face. She couldn't believe their luck. Her eyes met with Rodney's, and she laughed aloud at his gaping expression. "You heard the man!" she shouted, hope instilled in her voice once more. The group there cheered in reply. They had their moment of happiness before Elizabeth brought the air back to serious temporarily. "Now, listen. Keeping them off Atlantis for three hours isn't going to be easy," she didn't think she had to remind them all of that. "They should begin attacking any minute," Elizabeth's eyes moved to Rodney again. "Have you got the shield working?" He nodded. "Good," she directed her voice back to everyone there. "The shield Rodney has been working on will encompass each jumper. It will not, however, protect you from Wraith shots. Yes, by some degree it will, but not nearly enough to count on. The shield is there to deflect the culling beam." She looked around at every person left behind, trying to keep her composure. "Good luck," she whispered. Slowly, the group disbanded. The pilots headed toward the jumper bay—everyone else toward the armory.

"John, can I talk to you for a second?" Elizabeth stepped up to the man. He looked over at her and nodded slowly, looking more disheveled than ever. Silently, they headed to her temporary office.

"What do you want to talk with me about?" John asked, straight to the point.

"I wanted to make sure that you're positive you don't want to go to the Alpha Site," Elizabeth informed him. She put up a hand as John began shaking his head, "I'm being serious, John. I know you and Teyla—" she paused, "I know you both care about each other," she hedged, not wanting to trespass onto emotional boundary, "and I know there's a billion reasons you should be at the Alpha Site and not here."

John shook his head. "With all respect, no. I'm staying here. The sooner we beat these bastards, the sooner we get Atlantis back."

Elizabeth smiled slightly, not surprised. "All right, then," she said, and he began to leave. "Wait!"

"Yeah?" he turned around.

"Be careful out there," she told him.

"Between blowing up UFO's, flying around in alien ships and saving hundreds of people…" he shrugged, "Yep, I'll try." Elizabeth smiled as he left. She sat down on the desk, intending to have a moment's peace before everything started happening, when Peter Grodin burst into the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, ma'am," he said quickly, his words nearly indecipherable through his heavy breathing, "But several more Wraith Darts have appeared."

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Author's Note: Here's another chapter! I hope you guys like. Thanks to _Orka_, _MacCartney_ and _PurpleYin_for the reviews. Next chapter should be up next Friday or this Wednesday. Please review! **Here's another chapter! I hope you guys like. Thanks to , and for the reviews. Next chapter should be up next Friday or this Wednesday. Please review! 


	4. Chapter 4

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As soon as Rodney had double-checked (and triple-checked) each of the six jumpers that Elizabeth ordered to be deployed for safety and to make sure the shield used, Elizabeth directly addressed the twenty-one men standing in front of her. "The Wraith have begun powering their weapons. As of the moment, they are directed at Atlantis and not the mainland. We will be temporarily safe. When Atlantis can no longer protect itself, we will put up the shield. Hopefully Rodney is right and Prometheus will arrive before our own ZPMs are depleted. There is a signal between your jumper ship and Atlantis that directs power from the ZPMs to your ships. The signal should be able to reach you within the Pegasus Galaxy. I can't say enough to you all," she told them, "for putting your lives on the line so bravely." Elizabeth looked over at John and nodded as she walked to the side.

Sheppard stood where she had been standing: on a makeshift podium of boxes. "Since all of the philosophical stuff has been covered," he said, "I'm just here about what we're going to do." The people in front of him nodded. "The Wraith Darts are what we should be most concerned about. Sensors have indicated weapons on the Hive Ships, but they appear to be slow. The Darts are extremely maneuverable. I'm going to be honest with you now. The Darts outnumber us. If we went face-to-face, we would lose by sheer number of force. Three jumpers are going to stay below the clouds and go south. Go near PG097 and stay behind the planet. The other three jumpers will engage the Darts and led them to PG097. The first three will come from behind and get as many Darts as possible. Each of the jumpers has been equipped with a bomb," he looked at the pilots, "The scientists found them when they were searching the city. We don't know a lot about them. There is a silver panel that you have to attach to the bomb in order to activate it. It won't blow up until the panel is on. Do not deploy the bomb until you've radioed in and made sure no other jumper is in your vicinity. After most of the Darts are destroyed, we have to lure the rest of the Wraith away. It's too dangerous to drop a bomb on one of the Hive Ships over Atlantis, but if that's what it comes down to…" he trailed off. "Stay on channel six," he added, and began listing teams of three ships. Once he was done, everyone began clambering onto the jumpers. There were three more jumpers available for use if necessary. Elizabeth wanted there in case of emergency—what other emergency than the Wraith was unclear.

"Hey, John," Rodney stepped forward and John turned to look at him. The two looked at each other, no words leaving their lips. No matter how much they fought and bickered like two siblings, they both respected each other (not that they'd ever admit it, but…). "Good luck," Rodney said, swallowing. They grasped each other's forearms and John nodded.

"Thanks, McKay," he said genuinely. Sheppard turned to go onto the jumpers, glancing back at Elizabeth, Rodney, Carson and all of the others watching them go. "We'll be back," he said firmly.

Elizabeth furiously blinked her tears away. They would be back. Everything would be okay. Somehow, she couldn't convince herself of it. "Come home soon," she whispered softly as he turned and walked onto the jumper. Behind her, Rodney put his hand on her shoulders reassuringly.

"They'll be okay," he said, though deep down he wasn't sure. "John will never let anything happen to them." At least he knew the last sentence was true.

"That doesn't mean nothing will," Elizabeth replied sadly.

Rodney touched her cheek gently. "Don't talk like that," he said softly. "You know they're gonna go up there, Sheppard is going to be right, _like always_," he rolled his eyes, "and they're going to blow the shit out of the Wraith, come home and be heroes," his words were loud, as if he was convincing himself of it too. Elizabeth picked up on it but didn't comment.

"We should go to the control room, they'll start radioing in soon," Elizabeth said, and began walking in that direction. Rodney watched her go, his expression unreadable.

If Elizabeth didn't believe that Atlantis could be saved, then how could anyone?

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Author's Note: **Short but hopefully sweet :), lol. I apologize for the chapter lengths. I've written most of the story in one word document, so they aren't really meant to be chapters. I've been cutting them up as close to 1,000 words as I can, but it's a little difficult. (The next chapter is 861, then 1120, then 1426...you get the picture) I'm trying to update every three or four days so hopefully that makes up for the length. I just watched an episode of Atlantis over again and I realized there was a part where Rodney said that the city was fragile without the shield, but hey, that's canon and this is fanon :) Sorry about the contradiction there. Oh, and a warning in case you haven't figured it out yet: one of the main charcters of Atlantisdies. (And you won't figure it out until near the end, I think...teehee). Not much else to say, sorry for the uberly long note. Thanks a bunch to _Ashtynn, Orka, MacCartney_ and _PurpleYin_for the great reviews. :) 


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning:**Character death in this chapter (no main characters as of yet.) From here on out, I'm not going to warn you. If you get offended by character death, you shouldn't be reading this story.

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"JT-1 has cleared the atmosphere. We're on our way to PG097." Elizabeth sat down in a nearby chair as the radio message played over the speakers.

"10-4, JT-1," she replied. Jumper team—JT. _'How creative,' _she thought to herself wryly. Elizabeth looked around the room. As of the moment, it was only she, Grodin and McKay. Grodin and McKay were tinkering around with one of the computers, their arguing kept quiet. For her sake, Elizabeth guessed. She'd ordered the other scientists to move everyone into the mess hall, gate room and other areas close to the middle. It may take away only little of the power of the ZPMs to keep the lights on everywhere, but the more power they had, the more chance they had of surviving.

"This is JT-2 reporting," Major Sheppard's gruff voice was instantly recognizable. Elizabeth closed her eyes. _Of course _he would put himself on the team that had to engage the Wraith.

"Go ahead, John," she said.

"We've cleared the atmosphere," static passed through for a moment before the line cleared up again.

"How many of them are there?" Elizabeth asked. She stood, staring at the screen in front of her. The red dots were so close together she couldn't begin to decipher how many there were.

"A helluva lot," was John's reply. "There's four Hive Ships as well." Elizabeth frowned. Why had the Wraith brought _four _Hive Ships? One could easily contain everyone on the planet and the Alpha Site. Unless… Unless they thought that Atlantis would lead them to Earth. She was suddenly glad that she had burned the files on the Alpha Site, her relief increased by knowing the Atlantian safety measure for fire had kicked in a little after the fire had spread to the other documents. There were mission copies of everything she burned locked someone in Atlantis by the writer of the report, she knew. "Engaging the enemy."

Elizabeth held her stance as the quiet settled. Even Rodney and Peter had stopped bickering. Whatever was going on seemed a world away. "Elizabeth?" she turned, already knowing the speaker by his tell-tale accent.

"Carson," she greeted. He was standing at the doorway.

He nodded. "Everyone is out of the infirmary," he told her. "Is there anything I can do?" Beckett questioned.

"No," Elizabeth said softly. It seemed unfair that twenty-one people were risking their lives in this moment to save Atlantis while thirty-nine others could do nothing. She sighed, drawing her knees to her chest. Rodney looked over at her, concern in his eyes.

"The shields are at 110 percent," Peter announced proudly, drawing Rodney's attention back to their current task.

Carson walked over to the group, sitting next to Elizabeth. "Ay," he sighed, and looked over at her. It was painfully obvious how much this was affecting her. Every so often, her eyes misted over, tears threatening to fall. "It's alright to cry, you know," he said, looking at his hands.

"No, it's not," Elizabeth said, sniffling.

"Everyone cries at some point," Carson interjected, and Elizabeth smiled. Still, as she tried to focus on what was at hand, she tried to hold her hope in. Everything was going to plan. It was going to work.

They were going to save Atlantis.

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John Sheppard swore softly to himself as he looked ahead into the screen that was displayed on the windshield. There were about eight Darts tight on his tail. "Crown," he addressed the Lieutenant to his right, "What are our statistics?" They had so far evaded the shots the Darts were sending their way, but a particularly nasty one had gotten them a few minutes ago as they'd begun to flee. 

"90 original shield power, the beam shield is at 100, our weapons are at 100 and the hull is at 85," the reply came. John frowned and spoke into the radio.

"Jumper 5 this is Jumper 4, respond."

"This is Jumper 5."

"What is your status?"

"Just behind you, sir. Need help with your tail?"

"Wait until we get to the planet."

"Yes, sir."

John gripped the controls tightly, his eyes on the space ahead of him and the display. "JT-1 this is JT-2," he said, addressing the other three jumpers waiting for them by the planet. "Are you in position to receive?"

"10-4, JT-2. Anytime."

"Now's good," John announced, more to himself than anybody, as he led the other two jumpers around PG097. On the radar, he saw the other three jumpers drop their invisibility. He and the other two jumpers lurched forward with a burst of speed, leaving the thirty unsuspecting Darts to their teammates' mercy. The three ships of JT-2 moved ahead a little before turning around and joining the fray.

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**Author's Note: **Another short chapter, but the next two are back to the length I like them at. Sorry about that! I hope you liked! Please review!  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing...  
**Distribution: **WeirMcKayShip and here. If you want it (doubtful) just ask.  
**Reviewers: **Thanks to Silent Cobra, Tholhidwen, soin2jesse, andPurpleYin (Yup, they count! But I'll throw you a boneit's none of them) for the reviews! 


	6. Chapter 6

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_

Carson, Rodney, Elizabeth and Peter listened intently to the chatter on the radio, each of them tense. "Rodney, Peter," Elizabeth said.

"Yes?" they replied simultaneously.

"Is there any way to clear up the radar and figure out the exact number of Darts there are?" she asked. The two men looked at each other for a moment before turning around, immediately setting to work.

"Yes," Rodney answered, his words quick, "If we can just reroute it so that—ah!" he stopped as the dots on the screen lessened. A stream of digits appeared at the bottom left screen as well. Eyes widening, Elizabeth stood up until she was nearly nose-to-nose with the numbers.

"Rodney…" she whispered, and turned back to see him gaping as well.

"They appear to be arranged according to rank," Grodin spoke up, "Hive Ships, Darts, and then Wraith."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's the only way," Grodin replied. "Why do you ask?" Curious to see the numbers, he tried to peer around Elizabeth and Rodney, but his efforts brought nothing.

"There are four hive ships," Elizabeth said. "Along with one hundred and sixty-two Darts." Peter's eyes widened. Elizabeth felt her heart, so filled with hope from the connection that was made with Earth, begin to plummet. Three-two and a half by now-hours was too long. "Two hundred and fifty Wraith," she swallowed tightly. The four looked at each other, concern written over each of their faces.

"What does the yellow mean?" Carson broke the silence as he motioned in the direction of the screen. Peter swiveled in his seat and frantically typed keys on the laptop.

He blinked at the answer for a moment before turning back to the others, fear in his eyes. "A Hive Ship and five Darts have entered the atmosphere."

"Where are they going to land?" Rodney asked. There was a long beat before Peter answered.

"The mainland."

* * *

"John, can you hear me?" Elizabeth asked immediately into the earpiece. 

"Loud and clear, command," he replied. "JT-1 is taking care of a couple more Darts and my team is headed back to make a second loop."

"I'm afraid we have bad news," Elizabeth told him.

"What?"

"Five Darts and a Hive Ship are heading for the mainland," Rodney spoke up blatantly.

"Damn," John cursed beneath his breath.

"Rodney and I and whoever else wishes to come are going to go to the mainland and see if we can evacuate further before the attack," Elizabeth said.

"We are?" Rodney asked, eyes wide.

"No, you aren't," John's voice came through harshly. "Elizabeth, you're staying in Atlantis."

"John, listen—"

"No, Elizabeth, _you _listen. I am still the commanding military officer and my orders preside over yours during battle." Elizabeth gritted her teeth. She opened her mouth to remind him that he was her _adviser_. She was _supposed_ to listen to him; it didn't mean that his orders were above hers at any time. Whatever she would have said, though, was cut off as John spoke again. "Rodney," John addressed McKay, "Make sure she doesn't set one foot in a jumper, you hear me? I don't care if you have to handcuff her to a wall or shoot her, make sure she doesn't leave." Rodney nodded and received a stormy glare from Elizabeth. "Use two of the last jumpers. Send seven people per jumper."

"That leaves seven people on Atlantis," Rodney spoke up.

"Plus the team of scientists," John added. "Atlantis is the most protected spot. You'll be fine. If the jumpers are able to destroy the Hive Ship and the Darts, send one back and forth to ship people to Atlantis. Keep one on the mainland as a lookout. Radio the Athosians and let them know what is going on."

"Fine," Elizabeth said, edge to her voice.

"Good," John replied stonily. "Going back for the second spin. We'll try to damage the hive ships on the way. Sheppard out." The radio connection stopped and the sound faded to the silence of the control room. Elizabeth sighed softly.

"Doctor Weir," Carson spoke up.

"Yes?"

"I want to go to the mainland," he told her, his face grave. He could do no good here. Elizabeth was surprised. She swallowed tightly, looking at Carson. She didn't want him to go into danger. It was selfish, yes, but Carson was one of her dearest friends. _'It's also unfair,' _she told herself, _'to have favorites.'_

"Okay," she said unwillingly. _'He'll be fine,' _she told herself, but her mind wouldn't stop thinking of how much she'd miss the Scottish man if something happened. Elizabeth turned away from Carson before her eyes watered up again. She walked toward the glass that separated the gate room and the control room as she addressed Peter. "Connect with the Athosian channel," she ordered.

"You got it."

A moment later a surge of light static informed them that a connection had indeed been made. "Halling, this is Dr. Weir. Can you hear me?"

"Yes," the reply came after several seconds.

"Good," Elizabeth said with a strained smile. "How are you all doing?"

"We are fine. There has been nothing unusual as of yet."

Elizabeth pursed her lips. "A Hive Ship and five or more Darts have entered the atmosphere and they are heading toward you."

"I understand."

"Major Sheppard has ordered that two jumpers be sent to assist you. Once the ships have been destroyed, we'll begin evacuating more people." She swallowed. "Also, our home planet has contacted us and they are sending reinforcements that should arrive in—" she glanced back at Peter.

"Two hours, ma'am," Grodin answered immediately.

"That is good news," Halling said, and Elizabeth smiled weakly. "We must prepare."

"Good luck," Elizabeth whispered as the transmission cut off. She turned back towards Carson, Rodney and Grodin. "Let's get the two jumper teams ready," she said.

"I'll go and pack some medical supplies," Carson said, jumping to his feet. Elizabeth gave her permission with a small nod of her head and he departed. Grodin and McKay began to head toward the jumper bay. Elizabeth was following them at a length. She hated this. Again she would watch as good men and women left safety to fight for Atlantis. She hated knowing that some of them wouldn't come back.

They all deserved to come back.

"This is Prometheus. If you can hear me, we are transmitting a long-range message. We're experiencing a technical delay. It should be repaired within an hour or two."

Elizabeth froze as she heard the message through the earpiece. Her throat tightened and she reached her hand to the earpiece, touching it as if it wasn't real. "What!"

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Author's Note: **Sorry about lack of updates... Hope you enjoyed. Please review! 


	7. Chapter 7

**To all the fights I've conquered and behold**

**The times have changed and I will now move over slowly…**

**But through it all I still feel lost without you**

**Hard to find a new soul**

**The silence takes its toll**

-Lostprophets, "Sway"

_

* * *

_

Elizabeth Weir rubbed her tired eyes as she sighed softly. It had been about an hour and a half since any radio message had come through to Atlantis. She sighed, putting her head in her hands. Nearly an hour ago she'd convinced Peter and Rodney to try and help elsewhere. Her weary eyes moved across the control room. It was amazing how much the room seemed to change. She could clearly remember the mystique and homely feeling that had occupied the room only hours before. But now the room—and Atlantis itself—seemed to be so…empty, like a shell of its former self. _'It almost seems as if the city has already accepted its fate…' _ Elizabeth shook her head. No, they would defeat the Wraith. They had to.

So caught up in her thoughts, she jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked back immediately, and relaxed when she realized it was only Rodney. He was frowning, watching her with a concerned look on his face. Elizabeth blew out the breath of air she'd been holding as she looked at him. "You scared me," she stated the obvious.

"I'm sorry," he replied, sitting down cautiously in a chair next to her. Elizabeth noted vaguely that his hand, warm and comforting, hadn't left her shoulder yet. Not that she was complaining… "Are you sure you're okay?" Rodney asked seriously.

Elizabeth pursed her lips slightly. "I'm worried about everyone," she told him. It was so easy to talk to him. "I feel like…if someone dies…it will be my fault."

"That's preposterous," Rodney scoffed, " Elizabeth, it's no less your fault than it is anyone else's on Atlantis. The Wraith are the ones who should take the blame, not you."

"I know…but I can help it. I'm the one that ordered them out there…" she frowned deeply.

"It was their choice to stay here and help fight for Atlantis," Rodney reminded her. "Stop beating yourself up about it." Elizabeth looked over at Rodney and attempted a small smile. It was quickly lost on her lips, but Rodney didn't seem to notice. In the comfortable silence Elizabeth pondered quietly. When they had first arrived on Atlantis she had found Rodney particularly aggravating, as had, she suspected, the rest of the expedition members. But over time she had been able to see a side of him that only a few others saw. It had come gradually, but the day he stepped in front of a gun pointed at her…it had struck her speechless. She knew that she would've never pictured this: Rodney reassuring her. It seemed like an oxymoron, she supposed. Like John being wise. Of course, that was wrong too. John tended to act in the moment, but he had displayed several sporadic times of wisdom.

"JT-1 retreat!" John's voice cut through the speakers. Elizabeth stiffened immediately.

"What's going on, John?" she questioned loudly.

"They caught onto our plan. A group of Darts is ambushing us from behind," John grunted. Behind Elizabeth, Rodney winced at the noise of the shots coming through the radio.

"Jumper shield is down sixty percent," Lieutenant Crown's voice, muffled but audible, came through the speaker.

"We're taking direct hits," John told Elizabeth. "We're trying to regroup and attack."

"Lead them away from a planet," Rodney spoke up, "Have one jumper stay behind at the back. The other jumpers can split apart and then you can bomb them."

John was either considering his plan or trying not to get blown up—or both, judging by the silence of his lips. "I never volunteered myself to be that jumper, Rodney," he said finally.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "But you would've, anyway."

"We'll give it a try," John said reluctantly, and Rodney felt a smile tugging his lips at John's reluctance to say that McKay had learned a few things about military situations. "Where the hell is Prometheus?"

"They should be here within two hours," Elizabeth said. Rodney glanced at her, noticing the paleness of her skin and the worry in her eyes. Given a mirror, he would've seen that his face mimicked hers.

"What? Why—" John was cut off by Lieutenant Crown's yelling.

"We've lost Stackhouse and Simpson!"

"Shit," John hissed beneath his breath. "Jumper 4 out." The radio cut to silence. Elizabeth sat down in the nearby chair, her eyes wide. She closed her eyes and was surprised to find a stream of anger within her.

"Rodney," she said, straining to keep her voice calm.

"Yes?" he replied, his heart still sinking at the news of the two officers. Correction, one officer. Simpson was a doctor—_Rodney's _responsibility. He ran a hand over his hair, internally struggling with the revelation.

"Find a way to send a long range signal into space. We need to communicate with Prometheus."

"Right," Rodney nodded, walking quickly over to one of the laptops. Elizabeth set her elbows on the side of the gate dialing system and massaged her forehead with her fingers. Two good men gone, not to mention anyone else on the mainland who had fallen victim to the Wraith. As if to torment her, her mind recalled an image of Carson.

Elizabeth stood, walking over to the speaker controls. From what Peter had hurriedly explained to her one day, the base would receive all frequencies but would only respond on one of the messenger. She frowned, changing the channel from 'open' to the one they'd issued for the mainland mission. "This is Elizabeth Weir. Come in," she looked at the gate, well aware of Rodney's quick glance toward her. "Come in," she repeated. "Anyone?" her words finished with a small whisper.

"Ay, 'tis well to hear your voice again, Elizabeth," Carson's strained voice came through, although fuzzily. Elizabeth felt her body sag in relief.

"What's going on over there, Carson?"

"I am in one of the Athosian caves. The jumpers are attacking the hive ship."

"Any success?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"They haven't been in radio contact," Carson Beckett answered tentatively.

"Give me an update whenever you can," Elizabeth said wearily. "Stay safe, Carson."

"Ay, and you."

Elizabeth changed the frequency back to 'open' and walked over to Rodney. "Any luck?"

"Yes," he replied, "Just one more—ah, there." He pressed in a few keys before standing and walking over to the speaker controls.

"Tell me when I can start," Elizabeth told him.

Rodney nodded. "Just one more… There we go. Start…now."

"This is Elizabeth Weir of Atlantis. Prometheus, we desperately need your help. Our forces are failing to that of the Wraith. We cannot hold them off for much longer. In case of a total failure, we will have to use the self-destruct system. We're hoping you can get here by then," she bit her lip. "Please make contact if you receive this message." There were several beats of silence, and Elizabeth looked over at Rodney.

"It worked," he replied. "The message has been sent."

The silence continued. Just as Elizabeth's hope began to wane, a voice came through the speaker. "We read you loud and clear, Atlantis. We've increased speed as much as we can. We will be there in one hour." Elizabeth glanced at Rodney. Neither of them voiced the thought that was running through both of their minds.

Atlantis wouldn't survive another hour.


	8. Chapter 8

**To all the fights I've conquered and behold**

**The times have changed and I will now move over slowly…**

**But through it all I still feel lost without you**

**Hard to find a new soul**

**The silence takes its toll**

-Lostprophets, "Sway"

* * *

John Sheppard shifted his sweaty grip on the steering mechanism as he waited. A minute before he had broke off from the formation and gone to the other side of the planet. The other jumpers were 'fleeing' the battle. The jumpers flew into their range of vision, quickly followed by several Wraith Darts. John counted the jumpers: four of them. He clenched his jaw, angry at himself for the loss of the two. Manifesting itself in the back of his mind was the truthful idea that Stackhouse and Simpson would be only the first of many people to go.

"Jumper 4, we're one minute from the designated point."

"10-4," John said aloud. He guided the jumper in the direction where the others had gone. "Is the bomb ready?" John addressed Lieutenant Crown, who was attaching a panel to the sphere of black metal.

"All set."

"We're breaking off now," John nodded at the transmission from one of the other jumpers and watched the scene before him. The four jumpers suddenly doubled their speed, veering off in several directions. John increased the speed on his jumper. Lieutenant Crown sat down beside him, looking at the multitude of Darts below them.

"What if…what if this doesn't work?"

"It will," John glanced sideways only a second.

"If they make it to Atlantis…"

"Crown!" John's harsh voice snapped the other man out of his nervous reverie. "We're going to get through this. Now stay sharp." Crown nodded wearily, putting himself together and trying to stop his shaking hands. John focused on the problem ahead, fixing his sweaty grip on the controls. "Deploy in 5…4…3…2…" They were directly over the Darts now, "1…_now!_" Crown pressed one of the controls down with finality and the jumper deployed the bomb. As soon as he did, John pushed the jumper to full speed.

"Go, go, go!" Crown urged from his seat, looking back fearfully.

The bomb went off with an earsplitting crack. John winced but continued to guide the jumper forward as fast as possible. Beside him, Crown watched the blue and white mass of energy heading their way with a fearful awe. His mouth opened to speak as the wave struck the back end of the jumper, but the words never left his mouth. The wave sent the jumper spiraling to the side. John gritted his teeth, trying to regain control of the jumper. His attempts were valiant but futile. The motion of the jumper sent him forward, his head hitting the controls. Lieutenant Crown was knocked out of his seat as well, sprawling backward with a sickening thud of his head against a wall. John grasped onto the back of his seat, trying to stay in one spot. He turned toward the back, and upon seeing Crown's body being thrown like a marionette, reached his hand out, trying to steady the other man. The lieutenant was too far back.

When the jumper settled, John touched his burning forehead. His fingers came away sticky with blood. Sheppard's eyes moved to the motionless Crown, and he slowly crawled his way over to his shipmate. "C'mon, Crown…" John's whisper echoed through the jumper as he checked for the man's pulse but found none. Blood split down the other man's neck and face from tiny scratches from the interior. His open, unblinking eyes stared back at John.

The major turned from the fallen man and attempted to stand, only to have his feet crumble beneath him. Wincing against the sudden pain in his legs, he crawled toward the controls, inwardly cringing at the blood on them—he knew it was his. "This is Jumper 4," he rasped into the radio. "Crown and I caught the tail end of the blast. He needs medical attention, now," John said. His mind refused to accept that his fellow officer was dead, but the cool, lead pit in his stomach told him otherwise. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" There was no response. John rested his head on his seat for a moment, staring up at the flashing red on the screen. "Shields…dead; Weapons…fifteen percent; Hull…ten percent; Life support…five percent," he read the stats quietly, his heart sinking. John let his body slide to the floor. That was when he caught it—the strip of white toward the back. His head lolled in the direction, and whatever was left of his hope suffered a brutal blow. A large white crack ran down the back window of the jumper, a spider-web of smaller cracks along the edges. Realizing this, John could hear what he had ignored earlier: the faint hiss of air escaping through the cracks. _'I have to cover it up somehow or all of the air will go…' _the thought made it through his head but died before it reached his muscles. John felt his eyelids flickering shut, the pull of sleep intensified. He tried to reach out, but his body was too weak. Sheppard moved his eyes from the breathtaking intricacy of the fatal cracks to the ceiling of the jumper. His crimson blood rolled over his eyelashes; the gentle tears of death. Everything felt like a daze. In the silence, the only sound the weak murmur of air as it escaped the jumper, John felt oddly at peace. In that moment, nothing mattered. The cover of blackness descended upon him lovingly, like a mother caressing her son. The dull throb of John's head disappeared as he fell deeper into the warm dark.

"Jumper 4, respond! This is Jumper 1. The shot was a success." There was a pause. "Sheppard? Crown? Is everything okay?" The radio crackled urgently, but there was no one there to answer.

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**Author's Note: **-hides behind bush- Lol, hope you liked. Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**To all the fights I've conquered and behold**

**The times have changed and I will now move over slowly...**

**But through it all I still feel lost without you**

**Hard to find a new soul**

**The silence takes its toll**

-Lostprophets, "Sway"

* * *

Rodney McKay looked down at the cup of coffee in his hands. He was alone with only his thoughts for company in the mess hall. _'This could be my last cup of coffee.' _The thought occupied his mind as he looked down at the brown liquid. What was it like, he wondered, for the people on the Alpha Site? Rodney fiddled with the coffee cup. They were no doubt worrying for the people who had stayed behind. Well, the people they _liked_—which officially excluded Rodney from them all.

Just as McKay was pondering his low popularity, his meditative sole silence was broken as Dr. Zelenka sat down across from him. "Hey, Rodney," he said. Rodney glanced up at Zelenka, not bothering with a hello.

"Yeah?" he said, his general reply, but now it lacked the sarcastic edge. He couldn't deny or excuse the bitter twang of his heart as he wondered if these would be the last words he said to the other man.

"I want to ask you permission for something…" Zelenka hesitated only briefly, "Grodin and I want to take a jumper to the mainland."

Rodney's eyes widened in surprise. "What? How… Neither of you can fly a jumper!" he managed to spit out a complete thought, "And why are you asking me, anyway? You need to talk to Elizabeth."

"Carson gave me the ATA gene today, Rodney, and it works," Zelenka explained. "I can manage flying."

Rodney frowned deeply. "Why are you asking me for permission?"

Zelenka leaned back in his seat, sighing. "We stayed here to protect Atlantis, but we're doing _nothing _here. We want to go to the mainland to help. The more people that go, the better chance of success we have." He exhaled. "Dr. Weir doesn't understand that. She doesn't want to risk _anyone's _life. She doesn't understand that by risking more peoples' lives, she's really risking _less_. The more people out there, the more chance we have of survival."

"Look, Zelenka…"

"You know how I feel. We're holed up here while they're out fighting for us! I want to get out there and help somebody. Please, Rodney," Zelenka looked at Rodney, his eyes expressive.

Rodney sighed. "Fine, but come back in one piece," he ordered. Zelenka nodded solemnly before running off to find Grodin. Rodney put his head in his hands, sighing as he began to contemplate how in the hell he would explain to Elizabeth that he was letting two doctors lacking in military experience off to battle the Wraith.

* * *

"Atlantis, this is Sergeant Bates."

"I hear you loud and clear," Elizabeth replied, nervous for an update. "Did the bomb work?"

There was a long pause before he answered. "The bomb was effective. The Darts have all been neutralized."

Elizabeth frowned. She could tell by his voice that there was something that he wasn't telling her. "All of them?" she echoed.

"The bomb also knocked out a few of the jumpers' communication for a few minutes, but they're back online now."

"And what about Sheppard and Crown?" Elizabeth asked. Her hand gripped the side of the table and she closed her eyes. _'Please, oh please let them be safe,' _she prayed.

Bates' silence told her all she needed to know before he spoke again. "The resulting blast hit their jumper. They did a few flips. We've been trying to communicate with them, but no one is responding."

"Their communications could be broken," Elizabeth told him.

"No, they're getting the signal loud and clear," Bates said, what wasn't said much more powerful: neither Sheppard nor Crown could reply. "We've swept over the area. There is a large crack in the back windshield."

"Any life signs?" Elizabeth questioned, her face growing pale.

"The device to detect them was damaged in the blast. Ma'am, if Crown and Sheppard are unconscious and that crack is there, it won't be long before the oxygen is used up."

"Can't you transfer them to a different jumper?" Elizabeth asked.

"No," Bates answered. "We could nudge them along, but once we entered the atmosphere they would plummet into the ocean…or the city. Not to mention with this much hull and shield damage they wouldn't even make it through the atmosphere."

"There are fifty-two Darts left," Peter Grodin announced. "The bomb destroyed over one hundred. Sheppard and Crown didn't die for nothing…"

"They haven't died yet!" Elizabeth shouted at him, her eyes wide. She took a few gasping breaths and then hung her head, realizing that she'd snapped at him. "I-I'm sorry."

"No, you're right," Peter told her, "They aren't dead yet. Sheppard will find a way. He always does."

"What are your orders to continue?" Bates' voice came through. Elizabeth gripped the table harder. Now that Sheppard was…incapacitated, they looked to her for commands.

"Can you drop a bomb onto the Hive Ships above the atmosphere?"

"Possibly, but it could cause damage to the atmosphere."

"Okay," Elizabeth exhaled, "Bad idea then…" she looked over toward Peter, "Let the jumpers going to the mainland know not to fire their bombs."

"I'm on it," he replied.

"Damage what ships and Darts you can, whatever way possible."

"Okay. Bates out."

Elizabeth rubbed her temples with one hand, her arm trembling. John…he couldn't be dead! He just couldn't! "Get me on a line with Carson."

"Ay, I hear ye."

"Good," Elizabeth sighed. "John and Crown are stranded in a jumper. They aren't responding to communications and there appears to be a crack in the back windshield." She ran her hands up and down her arms in the moment of silence that followed.

"He is a resourceful chap, Sheppard is," Carson replied, hope weak in his voice.

"That he is," Elizabeth said, setting her jaw firmly. "How are things over there?"

"The jumpers have arrived," Carson informed her. "There's been a lot of firefight, but the Hive Ship is pretty intact. I'm afraid we're going to need something better if we're going to win this fight."

Elizabeth bit her lip. "Are all of the Athosians okay?"

"A few got hit by a blast that came close to the cave. I have 'em in the back, splinted an' all."

"Good."

Carson Beckett hesitated on the other end. "Do you…do you think that Sheppard…that he's…"

"We can't afford to make any assumptions," Elizabeth said, struggling to keep her stony composure. Her eyes flitted to Rodney as he walked into the room. "I've got to go. Stay in touch," Elizabeth turned off the radio and walked over to Rodney. "Any updates?" she asked, her face creasing in worry.

Rodney shook his head. "No," he answered her question a moment before his eyes slid to Peter Grodin, who was sitting by the controls once more. "Listen, Elizabeth… From what I've heard the mainland needs some help," he said. "We should send another jumper to help them." He looked down at his hands, thinking about what he had overheard about John. There was a hollow pit in his stomach. What if he really wasno. He couldn't afford to break down; not here, not now. They had a mission to complete.

It was the way John would've wanted it.

"Agreed," Elizabeth replied to his earlier statement.

"All right," Rodney turned, his eyes falling on Radek Zelenka who had recently stepped inside the room. "Radek, Peter, take a jumper."

Elizabeth rounded on him, her eyes wide. "Rodney!" he turned, biting his lip at the confrontation. "What do you think you're doing? Their not military personnel!"

"Elizabeth," Rodney said, his voice firm as he set his hands on her shoulders, staring intensely into her eyes. "There are no more military personnel. Zelenka and Grodin want to go. Let them," he ordered. Her eyes slid past him as Peter and Radek moved toward the door, glancing back. "We need them to do this," Rodney continued, still gazing intently into her eyes.

Elizabeth hung her head, relenting. "Okay." Rodney turned, nodding to the two scientists, who disappeared without a word to the jumper bay. Elizabeth looked up at Rodney, her eyes hollow shells; a fireplace dimmed of its ever burning light. "We're not going to make it another hour," Elizabeth stated.

"Yes we are," Rodney said through gritted teeth. Elizabeth tilted her head, considering how ironic it was that Rodney McKay was assuring her that things would be fine instead of the opposite way around.

"Not like this," Elizabeth whispered, turning away from him and walking a few steps as she thought. "We can barely hold them off. Soon the Hive Ships will start descending and we won't be able to stop them without blowing up Atlantis."

"Elizabeth…"

"There has to be one leader ship, right? We don't know much about the Wraith, but they must have some ranking of power…"

"What are you saying?" Rodney asked finally.

Elizabeth turned to him, a stony resolved in her eyes. "I have a plan."

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**Author's Note:** Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. :) Thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming!


	10. Chapter 10

Carson Beckett returned the walkie-talkie he had been fingering for the past twenty minutes to his jacket pocket, stubbornly wiping at his misting eyes. "This is ridiculous," he told himself. It had been a half an hour or so since Elizabeth last radioed and he was still waiting for any updates.

"Is everything all right?" Halling asked, descending upon the Scottish man with concerned eyes.

"Ay, just worried," Carson pressed forth a brave smile. "How are the patients doing?"

Halling nodded, "They are fine."

"That's good to hear." Carson swiped the back of his forearm across his forehead. Between all of the bodies in the caves, it was scalding hot. "I'm going to see what's going on out there," Carson announced.

"Is that not unwise?" Halling questioned.

"Somebody has to do it," Carson reasoned, "And I'd just as well that be me."

"I will come with you."

"No, Halling," Carson ordered, "If the Hive Ship sees me, I'd rather it be just me. Everyone here needs you," he reminded the other man. Beckett turned, ducking around people and heading toward the mouth of the cave. Bravery had little to do with it; he wanted, no, needed, to see what was going on out there. No one from the two jumpershad communicated in for a long time and he was getting worried.

"Return swiftly," Halling called after him.

Carson looked around as he stepped from the entrance of the cave. After skirting around a batch of trees, he could make out the outline of the Wraith Hive Ship, still high in the air. Two jumpers swerved in a deadly dance as they fired upon the larger, more capable ship. Carson swallowed and forced himself to look away from it. Though he was glad that the jumpers--and the people _on _the jumpers--were okay, it was sitll a bad sign that they hadn't been able to damage the Hive Ship so far. It appeared to be a losing battle.

"Is anyone out there?" Carson jumped at the noise before realizing that it was coming from his radio. With clammy hands, he took the black device out of his jacket.

"Who is this?" he questioned. The voice sounded familiar. But it couldn't be; Elizabeth would _never _allow it…

"It is Radek," Zelenka confirmed his identity. "Grodin and I are flying into the mainland at this moment."

Carson jogged clear of the trees, no longer mindful to keep an eye on the Wraith Hive Ship, certain that the other two jumpers were keeping it occupied. "I don't see you," he hollered into the radio.

"We are coming out of the cloak now," Peter's voice came through. Carson jumped as the jumper appeared yards before him, settling to a gentle stop. The doctor ran toward the door as Zelenka and Grodin exited.

"Where's the other jump—_holy _crap!" Peter began his question, only to spot the gigantic Hive Ship hovering to the other side.

"We must find its weaknesses to stop it…" Zelenka said, suddenly glad he'd thought of bringing his laptop with him.

Carson shook his head. "No…they would've found the weakness by now," he reminded them. "How long do we have until Earth's forces come?"

"Thirty minutes on their best speed," Zelenka provided.

"The jumpers…they can keep them busy until Earth comes," Carson said. It was a bold statement at best and most likely a false one. "We need to save John."

"What?" Zelenka frowned, "Isn't he leading the jumper teams?"

"He got hit by the aftershock of a bomb. His jumper isn't operational and it's cracked."

Peter glanced at the battle waging before their eyes. "We have to help them, too," he reminded Carson. "If we don't, everyone here dies."

"We can fly to Sheppard's ship, get him, and fly back all in time," Carson insisted.

Zelenka and Grodin looked at each other. Neither of them particularly wanted to engage in the battle with the Hive Ship, but they knew it had to be done. Still… John Sheppard was the military commander. More than that, he was their friend, their family. If what Carson said was right, and they could return in time… "You coming with?" Grodin asked, knowing that Zelenka had reached the same conclusion: they would save John before it was too late for him.

Carson nodded. "Just let me leave this with Halling," he said, pointing to his radio.

"All right," Zelenka nodded and turned to Grodin. "Fire up ze engines," he ordered.

* * *

"Absolutely not. No, never, nunca, niet—" 

"Rodney!" Elizabeth cut him off.

"You are **not **boarding a Wraith Hive Ship, Elizabeth!" Rodney exclaimed, pinning her with an intense stare that made her pause for a moment.

"Listen—"

"No! The Wraith are not negotiators, Elizabeth. They'll invite you over for tea and suck you dry," Rodney reminded her, his voice heated.

"I don't need to make an agreement with them," Elizabeth told him. "I just need to stall until the Prometheus comes."

"How do you plan on boarding a Hive Ship anyway? It's impossible!"

"They can transport people onto their ship," Elizabeth said slowly, closing her eyes and waiting for his angered reply.

Rodney was silent for a few moments. "You want them to transport you using the culling beam," he said steadily.

"Look, Rodney, as soon as Prometheus comesI'll get a Dart and escape."

"We don't have any proof that Darts are even _aboard _Hive Ships, regardless whether a human can fly them. Not to mention the fact that our pale friends would never let you out of their sight."

"If I don't do this, then Atlantis will fall!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Then let me do it," Rodney said after a moment, his eyes meeting Elizabeth's.

Elizabeth's face went slack for a moment at the thought of it. "No," she said, shaking her head vehemently, "No. **I'm** going, Rodney, it's my plan and I can't risk—"

"And I can't risk you dy—" Rodney looked down at the floor, breaking the eye contact between he and Elizabeth. "Atlantis needs a leader," he said finally, "And you're the only one fit enough to fill that position."

"I'm not going to die, Rodney," Elizabeth said firmly, but it was useless to try. They both knew that if she went on this mission that she would not likely return.

"No, you're not," Rodney agreed, "Because you're not going."

"The last I checked, I was the leader of this base," Elizabeth said coolly, the emotion in her eyes seeping away. Rodney watched this and knew she had settled the argument by herself.

"Don't…" he pleaded weakly, but he knew it was useless. A cool lead feeling settled uncomfortably in his stomach.

"We'll take the last jumper," Elizabeth announced. "You can take the shield for the culling beam down for a limited time, right?" Rodney was silent, his lips pressed firmly together. No…he couldn't allow this. She didn't need to risk her life! What if…what if she died? Elizabeth couldn't risk her life like this. "Right?" Elizabeth asked again, a warning in her voice. Rodney's eyes were downcast and looking pointedly away from her when he replied. She knew full well he didn't want to do this…but he didn't have a choice in the matter. It came down to the chain of command. Rodney's response left his mouth bitterly.

"Right."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is appreciated!

**Thanks to:  
**_PurpleYin_ (Thank ya!I'm not that good writing Grodin, sorry about that!)  
**and  
**_highonscifi_ (Don't worry! Next chapter!)  
**for the reviews!**


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